Category Archives: Music

Shortwave Radio Recordings: beHAVior Night

GramophoneFor your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show which showcases music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

This show was recorded on Friday, January 17, 2014–last week. You can catch beHAVior Friday afternoon/evening at 17:00 EST/22:00 UTC on 7,490 kHz (WBCQ).

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Check out beHAVior Night on Facebook by clicking here.

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Wolverine Radio

SSTV-19Jan2014-WolverineRadioFor your listening pleasure: 1 hour and 17 minutes of pirate radio station, Wolverine Radio–recorded Sunday, January 19, 2014 starting around 1:40 UTC.

Wolverine was broadcasting on 6,94o kHz in the upper side band. Typical of Wolverine, lots of music variety which spans the decades and no commentary other than station ID throughout.

While reception was waning when I decoded Wolverine’s SSTV QSL (see right), signal strength and audio fidelity were excellent as always.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3 or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Romania International

RomaniaMap

For your listening enjoyment:  Radio Romania International‘s English language service.

This RRI broadcast was recorded on January 4, 2013 starting a little before 01:00 UTC on 7,325 kHz. It begins with a few seconds of RRI’s interval signal.

Be sure to also check out the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive for a two hour recording of RRI’s Romanian language service, which was broadcast simultaneously on 7,340 kHz.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Pirate Radio Recordings: UNID (percussion)

AlwaysBeAPirateOn New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2013), while band scanning, I tuned to 6,955 kHz around 22:15 UTC, and  heard a relatively strong pirate station.

For at least 51 minutes, this unidentified pirate played various percussion music, much of which sounded like recordings of live drum circles. I never heard an ID during the broadcast, nor did anyone on the HF Underground board.

Listen for yourself: click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below.

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Pirate Radio Recordings: Channel Z (chasing pirates in a pickup truck)

QSL247On the afternoon of November 29th, while traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday,  I took my wife to an art supply store who was having a “Black Friday” sale. While she was inside shopping,  I sat in my truck and remembered that I had my Tecsun PL-660 in tow (after all, never leave home without a radio, right?). I slightly opened the driver’s side window, turned on the PL-660 and extended the telescopic antenna out the window. I instantly I heard a station playing music on 6,925 kHz. What? I couldn’t be hearing a pirate this time of the afternoon, with a portable radio in a crowded parking lot!?!

Then I heard the station ID of Channel Z.

I quickly used my iPhone to log into my home computer (in a different part of the state) and tune my WinRadio Excalibur to record the broadcast. I could clearly see Channel Z’s AM carrier on the spectrum display.

After hearing the station email address, I sent in my signal report using my iPhone. Later, I received an eQSL (see above) and the following about the broadcast and Channel Z:

“You heard the special program, “Before They Were Famous – Part 3” from guest DJ Andy Walker.  I was very lucky to have Andy do this show for Channel Z Radio, as he has been in semi-retirement the past three years, with only occasional guest appearances on Crazy Wave Radio in Germany, and now for the third time on Channel Z radio.  Since Andy’s shows have received such a huge response from the DX community, there is a good chance he will do another show on Channel Z sometime soon.

(Source: DXArchive.com)

(Source: DXArchive.com)

Andy has been involved in free radio for over 37 years, and got his start at the age of 15 as part of the site crew with Radio Kaleidoscope in London. He was instrumental in bringing long-time land based pirate Radio Free London (RFL) back to the air waves in the mid 1990’s, and was a regular DJ on WNKR (West and North Kent Radio) for over 20 years.  In addition, he was part of the crew on Britain’s first legally licensed offshore station, Offshore Radio 1584 in 1992.

Channel Z has been on the air since November 2004, and started because of my interest in building homemade shortwave transmitters.  To date, Channel Z has been heard in 30 states, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Newfoundland, Norway, Poland and Venezuela; all on homebrewed transmitters.  This time I was using my favorite transmitter, the Commando, designed by Dave Martin of WNKR.  The Commando does 25 watts carrier on 43 meters with a 14 VDC supply.  The antenna was a horizontal dipole, cut for 6925 kHz, and was approximately 15 meters above ground.

Many thanks to Channel Z for the feedback. I’m amazed that I was able to hear the 25 watt Commando with my PL-660 in the middle of a crowded parking lot. Of course, that’s part of the magic of the shortwaves (and pirate radio listening).

For your listening pleasure, here is 50 minutes of Channel Z, staring around 21:40 UTC on 29 November 2013. This broadcast was recorded via my home SDR. Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: beHAVior Night

GramophoneFor your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show (relayed by WBCQ) dedicated to showcasing music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

This show was recorded on 7,490 kHz, starting at 22:00 UTC on December 8, 2013.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: beHAVior Night

Sir Scratchy (Source: Facebook)

Sir Scratchy (Source: Facebook)

For your listening pleasure: beHAVior Night, a shortwave radio show, relayed by WBCQ, dedicated to showcasing music from the first four decades of the 20th Century.

If you’re as nostalgic as I am, you’ll love the sonic combination of early records with the shortwave ether hosted by the inimitable “Sir Scratchy.” Relax, close your eyes, and indulge in a little radio time travel…

You can tune in beHAVior Night on Fridays at 17:00 EST or 22:00 UTC on 7,490 kHZ.

Though I could not find an official website for beHAVior Night, I would encourage you to “like” both Sir Scratchy and the beHAVior Night Facebook pages where show updates are often posted.

Click here to download the recording as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

If you like listening to early 20th century music via shortwave, you should also check out Marion’s Attic and the occasional pirate radio station, Radio Casablanca.

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